With A Sigh And A Smile
by Ailetoile
Summary: SasuNaru, HinaNaru, SasuSaku, ShikaIno, KibaHina and more... A collection of drabbles and short stories centered around the children in Naruto. Yaoihet. New chapters: Kiba and Naruto!
1. Shino: Life's Simplest Pleasure

A/N: Well, I'm back after a bit of a break (aka college kicking my butt). Blood Red isn't on hold or anything; there's a new chapter that's almost ready to upload. In the mean time, I've been overrun by plot bunnies. Rather than cluttering ff.net, I figure that I'll post them all into a multi chapter fic. Each chapter is a drabble about various characters in Naruto. There is a little bit of everything, so if you don't like one of them keep reading. You'll probably stumble on something you like eventually. Reviews are always appreciated. Enjoy.  
  
Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine.  
  
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Shino has never been a normal child. The time that other children spent in play, he typically spent training. Not just his physical strength; indeed, he has been brought up to believe that physical attributes are a secondary and lesser means of combat. There are other, more efficient ways to bring an enemy to his knees.  
  
For him, it is easy to partake in life's simplest pleasure. Every moment of every day, waking or sleeping, he is in the company of his most cherished and trusted companions. In return for his chakra he is lavished with all of the little things that every ninja craves: friendship, reliability, a means of fighting effectively against any enemy. He carries his family with him everywhere he goes.  
  
It is easy to be content and secure in such a life. He doesn't mind that his peers find him creepy, nor does he object to being labeled strange. He is comfortable with who he is, and as long as he can feel the loving caress of small bodies inside his own, he knows he's right where he belongs. 


	2. Sakura: Worth More Than Friendship

Sakura has the potential to be a great ninja someday. Her chakra control is perfect, her memory and powers of observation flawless. What she lacks in strength and physical ability, she more than makes up for with her analytical prowess. Intellectually, she could rival Shikamaru if only she would apply herself.  
  
It is easy for her to conveniently forget about her friendship with Ino and Rock Lee's unrequited love. It is surprisingly simple to ignore Naruto entirely and act as though she is part of a two man team. Peripherally, she is aware that she does almost nothing to help her teammates, but nothing can compare to the rush of adrenaline she feels as she pretends for those realistic, heart stopping moments that she is a damsel in distress and that her handsome prince is going to save her.  
  
She tries not to notice the exasperation in Sasuke's eyes whenever she approaches him. She tries to forget that it is traditionally Naruto and Rock Lee who stand up for her in any situation. She avoids looking Ino in the eye, finds it difficult to speak with her now.  
  
When she stops to think, she finds the situation a bit curious. She never figured that she would be the one to cast aside her first true friend for a boy.  
  
Unfortunately, she's been too busy loving Sasuke to stop and do much thinking as of late. 


	3. Sasuke: Acknowledgement

Acknowledgement. A simple thing. Sasuke knows that Naruto yearns for it. Knows that he can never give it. Acknowledging Naruto would mean admitting aloud that something besides vengeance has meaning in his life.  
  
Sometime during their stint as teammates, disdain and disgust have melted away. It surprises Sasuke now how satisfying Naruto's attention can feel. Hatred has become habit, but beneath that now trembles a need for Naruto's determined optimism that rivals Naruto's need for Sasuke's acknowledgement. The nature of their bickering has gradually changed, taken on a whole new meaning.  
  
"Become worthy of me," Sasuke's drawled insults say now. "Become worthy of me and I will find the courage to give you what you want."  
  
Because right now, Sasuke has everything that Naruto wants... And Naruto embodies everything that Sasuke needs. 


	4. Hinata: Unrequitted Love

If you were to ask Hinata whether she believes in love at first sight, she would answer with a soft, shy yes. If prompted, she would go on to say with that same bashful certainty that opposites attract and that an unrequited love is well worth the heartache.  
  
It is her nature to be submissive although she is slowly gathering the courage to stand up for her beliefs. Just like Naruto. She instinctively follows those she perceives as stronger, allowing herself to be led down paths she would never travel of her own free will. She models herself off of Naruto, her idol, and never looks back at the pieces of herself that she discards as she grows to fit the image of what she thinks she should be.  
  
It never occurs to her that she could have thrived the way she was had she only put forth some effort towards finding her niche in life. Instead, she continues to trail after Naruto, the boy she loved at first sight, always pushing to change just one more aspect of herself. Just like Naruto, she will overcome the unfathomable odds against her and find her own ninja way.  
  
She will continue to follow him, her role model, and be content with watching him from afar as they grow together. And maybe, just maybe he will turn around and see her someday. Not the shy, strange girl that she was, but HER.  
  
Her heart beats faster at the thought. 


	5. Ino: Rivalry

Ever since she was a little girl, Ino has known that she was going to be a ninja when she grew up. She has trained to achieve that goal since she was old enough to know that training is what ninjas do. That absolute confidence in herself, in her future, has always been a part of her. It has made her the person that she is today.  
  
She knows with absolute certainty that neither she nor Sakura ever had a chance with Sasuke. You would have to be blind to miss the determination in his eyes, the way that he jumps at the slightest opportunity to test his strength. She sees without a doubt in her mind that he is just not interested in her, or any girl for that matter.  
  
She still competes with Sakura over Sasuke, but she is removed enough from the whole mess that she is aware of the truth. She doesn't need to be a mind-reader to know when she's lost, but being the loser stings just a little less when you know that your rival has lost right along with you. 


	6. Neji: Fate

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. A bird in a cage, wings aching for flight and voice overwhelmed by the sorrow of captivity isn't worth very much at all.  
  
Neji was born a caged bird. The very meaning of his existence has been tattooed on his forehead, branded there as fate clipped his wings and confined him to a cage for the main family's convenience. His soul aches for flight and as he grows he stretches his wings, testing the boundaries of his steel-strong cage whose bars are woven of hatred, tradition, fate.  
  
All he can see, all that he lives for is the opportunity to cheat fate and find his own true worth. He doesn't realize that Naruto has unlocked the door to his cage at long last. He has become so accustomed to his confined life that he cannot see that it is up to him to take the final step and rejoin the world he has been kept from.  
  
When push comes to shove, though, Neji – like his father before him – finally understands. At the end, he will choose his own death and damn fate to hell. After all, it is the nature of a caged bird to fly at the first opportunity. 


	7. Shikamaru: Logic

Shikamaru's parents have always taught him to respect the opposite gender. Not because of any perceived weakness or because they are lesser than men; no, he has been taught to respect girls simply because they aren't boys.  
  
He likes to find the logical way of doing things. Logic is the best weapon and the best defense, a well-rounded fighting technique that demands the least possible exertion and tends to accomplish the task at hand quickly and efficiently.  
  
A logical mind is a mixed blessing. Shikamaru sees things in the way a ninja ought, always understanding what is hidden underneath the underneath, but the same uncanny intelligence that makes him an enemy to be reckoned with on the battlefield often makes his personal life a living hell. He certainly doesn't miss Ino's occasional sidelong glances, nor is he oblivious to the delightfully painful thump of his heart whenever he sees her.  
  
He really has no use for girls beyond a deep-rooted respect. Ino isn't exactly a girl in his eyes, though. She's a teammate.  
  
Logically, that makes all the difference. 


	8. Kiba: Something More Than Nothing

Kiba likes to be in charge. He likes to know what's going on, to be on top of things because that way he can never be forgotten or left behind. Life can't go on without first consulting the leader, him, and that's just the way he wants things.  
  
Perhaps that is the basis of his adoration for Hinata. In her milky eyes, Kiba sees a reflection of himself. Of what he could have been had his life twisted only slightly in another direction. She embodies all of the uncertainty and the fear that he, too, feels and forces himself to ignore. Without the constant love and companionship that Akamaru provides, without the harsh exterior that he has affected, he could have been the same shy, scared person he sees in Hinata. She feels like his other, hidden half.  
  
That's why he clings to his self-appointed position as leader of Team 8 with such tenacity. It gives him every reason to be concerned for Hinta, for her happiness and her well-being. She doesn't have to know that his feelings for her run deeper than those from one teammate to another.  
  
All he knows is that she appreciates the company and that he basks in her proximity. It isn't all that he wants, but it's something. For now, that's more than enough for him. 


	9. Naruto: Ignorance

Naruto lives his life in ignorance. Truly, for him, ignorance is bliss, and not just in the academic sense. Ignorance in academics and tradition allow him to blunder through life in a kind of innocent, charmed bubble. Such a state of mind allows him to successfully create his own ninja way without the hesitation or guilt that comes along with carelessly discarding generations of tradition.  
  
He is conveniently ignorant of the positive effect he has on the lives of those around him. Oh, he acknowledges all of the good that his newly formed "family" as it were does for him, but to give himself an ounce of credit would be akin to throwing off all of the masks and tearing down all of the walls that he has created to protect himself over the years. He has become too accustomed to the necessity of ignoring and smiling through the way other people have always treated him to throw away his callousness as easily as that.  
  
For him, life is good as long as he can begin each day with the hope of a smile and perhaps a hug from Sakura, or maybe a kind word from Kakashi- sensei or a sign of acknowledgement from Sasuke. As long as he can follow his dream of one day becoming hokage.  
  
And even though he ends more days than not without any of his hopes becoming reality, he goes to bed with a smile on his face and a lightness in his heart.  
  
After all, in Naruto's world of ignorant bliss, the potential that tomorrow holds is vast, great, and might just herald the realization of one of his hopes and dreams. Life just doesn't get much better than that. 


End file.
